


Another white dash...

by KeepGoing



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cross Country, Feels, M/M, Mentions of Cora Hale - Freeform, Road Trips, Spoilers for Season 4, derek first person pov, derek misses the buzz cut, mentions of Kate Argent, set in season 4, stiles and derek get each other, stiles misses the leather jacket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2014-07-20
Packaged: 2018-02-09 15:11:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1987566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeepGoing/pseuds/KeepGoing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Derek packs a bag to head out cross country to talk to Cora about his sudden change in eye color, Stiles insists on tagging along. Neither of them realize its about to be exactly what they've been searching for all along. </p><p> <i>He stirs, and I glance at him. He smacks his lips together a few times, sighs, and then drifts back to sleep as my speedometer hits 80. </i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>I never realized how beautiful he was until I saw him sleeping.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Another white dash...

 

_There is something exciting about leavin' everything behind...._

  
“I can hear you, you know. And smell you. Did you bathe in Salami?”

I hear the loft door slide closed and the familiar heavy steps. And the scent of cured meat gets closer.

“Where are going?” He asks, looking at the large duffle bag next to the couch. 

“On a trip.”

“No shit, Sherlock. I got that much.” He picks the bag up. “Pretty heavy. How long you gonna be gone?”

“A while.”

He frowns, dropping the bag. “So you’re leaving. Again.”

“I need to talk to Cora.”

“Is this about your eyes?”

I growl at him. His heart rate doesn’t elevate. He doesn't flinch. He’s not afraid of me anymore.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He pauses, looking back down at the bag. “So take me with you.”  


_There is something deep and pulling leavin' everything behind...._

  
How we got here, I’ll never understand. And I don't even mean here in my truck with him next to me chewing, open mouthed, on Twizzlers, driving down interstate 27 at 80 miles an hour. I mean here, where we can drive in my truck at 80 miles an hour while he chews loudly on Twizzlers.

Friends, dare I say it. I mean, I guess that's what we are. No matter how many times I told him no, it didn't matter. And when he nearly drove my truck off the road as I headed out of Beacon Hills and he sprints up to my window carrying his own duffle bag, what was I supposed to do? The kid is persistent. So persistent in fact he made me stop at the gas station so he could load up on “essentials” which included Twizzlers, Funions, beef jerky and lots of cherry Pepsi. 

When I yelled at him when he got back into the truck with an overstuffed shopping bag, he just stuffed a Twizzler in my mouth and told me not to be such a sour wolf. 

So what am I supposed to do?

So here he is. Here I am. Driving in the middle of the night to where I think Cora may be. She moves around a lot. Honestly she doesn't want me to know where she is. Safer that way, she says. Because of hunters. Because of now, Kate. 

But she’s family. And I need to talk to her.

“So what are you gonna say to Cora when you see her?” He asks, smacking his lips together. I give him a glance out of the corner of my eye. He’s got crumbs on his shirt. I sigh.

“I’m not sure yet.”

He hums and shoves his sneakers off and puts his socked feet up on the dash. “I like the pickup. It suits you. But I won't lie. I miss the Camaro.” He pauses. “And the leather jacket.”

Its my turn to hum. “I miss the buzzcut.”

His heads whips to look at me, mouth full of Funions gaping open. “Really?”

I nod. “Don't get me wrong, the longer hair is...good.” I clear my throat. “But I don't know, you had the buzz cut the first time I ever smashed your face into a steering wheel.” 

He laughs, spewing more Funions onto his shirt. I smile, really smile for the first time in what feels like years and put the truck into cruise control as we clear over the border of California.  
  


*********************

  
“ _Sooooouuuurrrr wooooollllfffff…_ ” I hear the sing song voice in my ear and I groan, rolling over to pull the itchy motel blanket up over my head. But its stuck on something and when I crack one eye open I find Stiles already dressed and showered, holding the blanket hostage with both hands. He’s smirking; an evil cocky smirk; and I realize I’m only wearing boxer briefs and I’m putting on a show for him.

“Enjoying the view?” I mumble, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. 

“I’m starving. I want pancakes.” He lets go of the blanket and grabs my arm to pull me forward. I’m not sure when it happened that he literally decided that there were absolute no boundaries between us anymore. The touching, the eye gawking. The demanding of breakfast foods. But I’m not complaining. Whats the point?

“Lemme shower. Then I’ll get you fucking pancakes.” I stumble out of bed and toward the shower. I notice he’s left a fresh towel on the the closed lid of the toilet for me. I frown and then ask myself why I’m frowning. Then I smile as I shut the door. 

“Like you don't like pancakes!” I hear him yell.  


_And I watch another white dash, another white dash, another white dash fly beside us..._

When we pass Las Vegas in the distance from the highway, he begs me to stop. 

“I just wanna pull one slot machine. Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?”

“Stiles, you’re not even 21.” I argue, letting my eyes linger a little too long at the mesmerizing lights of the strip.

“But you are! You’re like what, 40?” 

I growl. He snickers. 

“You don't even know where Cora is!” He protests, craning his head to look past me to the sparkly lights. “What’s an hour gonna hurt?” He looks at me. “You’re just afraid we’ll get drunk and get married.”

“First of all, I can't get drunk. And second of all, this isn't some Katy Perry song.”

He falls back against his seat, giggling. “You listen to Katy Perry. Wait till I tell Scott.”

“And I’ll tell Scott you watch Sex in the City.”

“It was the only thing on! You don't have a lot of TV selections in a motel room.” He huffs. 

“Yeah? And when you cried when Carrie broke up with Mr. Big?” I asked, eyebrow raised.

“Fuck you! You know their _names_?”

“I had sisters, remember? What’s your excuse?”

He turns in his seat, crossing his arms and staring out the passenger window. I cant help but smile when he pouts like that.

“Put your seat belt back on.” I remind him. He groans, but does it anyway.  


_And I count another white dash, another white dash, another white dash out of time with the music..._

  
When we hit Utah, I still can't catch Cora’s scent.

“Have you tried like, calling her?” He asks, drumming his fingers against his knee. 

“She disconnected her number. She’s trying to stay safe. If Kate is after me, she’s after Cora too.”

“Does Kate even know Cora is alive? I think you guys are being paranoid.”

“Yeah? Are we? Did she burn your house to the ground and kill most of your family?” I yell. 

His eyes widen. “No...I’m...I’m just saying. I don't think Kate is after Cora.”

“She’s not gonna stop until she’s finished. Peter, me...Cora. Anyone in our family.” I pause giving him a pointed look. “And that includes the people in my life too. Scott, Lydia. You. Anyone with a power.”

“I have no power.” 

“You did.”

He sighs. “Yeah and I got Allison killed. One less for her to worry about.”

And then it hits me. What his need to come with me on this trip was all about. He was running. 

“Scott doesn't blame you.” I assure him. 

He doesn't answer. 

I drive for a few more minutes but when his tension doesn't lesson, I pull over abruptly. The wheels of the truck kicking up dry Utah dirt. I slam the gear into park and look at him. 

“Listen to me. If there is one thing I’ve learned its that you need to stop feeling guilty about stuff you can't change. I let Kate in. I trusted her. And look what she did. Is it my fault my family is dead? Yes. But I gotta forgive myself. I gotta get past this if I’m ever gonna be the kinda man my parents expected of me. And Cora is just playing it safe. And she should. But before I can find Kate and put an end to all of this once and for all, I gotta see my sister. I gotta see if she knows anything or knows anyone who can tell me why my eyes are this way.”

“You don't need to drive across the fucking country for that answer, Derek! I can tell you why your eyes aren't blue anymore!” Stiles screams at the top of his lungs. His eyes are wet and his hands are shaking. 

“Why?” I ask gently.

He sighs. “Fuck. Its because you DID forgive yourself. Not just for Kate but for Paige too. And Boyd and Erica and Peter and all the shitty things you did to Scott and Isaac and everyone else. And once you did that and realized that it wasn't about power anymore for you, just being a part of a pack again, and declaring your loyalty to Scott, in your own way, your eyes just…” He swallows. “Dude, I don't know. How did Scott become a true Alpha? Maybe you became a true Beta.”

I want to laugh. Because it just sounds so ridiculous. But...this kid, this teenage boy, sees the world, sees my kind, this boy who runs with wolves, knows more than I ever will. 

So do I laugh? No. Do I argue? I cant. So what do I do?

I kiss him. I grab the back of his neck and pull his mouth against mine in the normal aggressive manner I usually take with him. I can taste the salt of the few tears he shed when thinking about what happened to Allison and all he couldn't quite yet forgive himself for. 

He opens his mouth for me, inviting me in, like he always has. Into his room to hide me from his dad. Into his car to help me with wolfsbane gunshot wounds and into his arms when I was paralyzed in 8 feet of water. 

And for the first time I finally let him in. Because there's nothing left to keep him from. 

He knows everything, including answers to questions I didn't even know I had. 

When the kiss ends, he pulls back, eyes blinking dramatically, his tears dried up. He nods, turns and buckles his seatbelt. 

“Let’s find Cora.”  


_There is serious deep and mumbles; A conversation I'm not in..._

  
We don't talk about the kiss as we look in Colorado, or all the way into Kansas. We continue to banter, watch sex in the city in the mornings on the motel room TV's that allow it, and when he shoves his cell at me when his Dad calls for the 15th time since we left, he still doesn't even give any inkling that its even on his mind or that it happened.

“Just tell me he’s okay.” The Sheriff pleads. 

“He’s fine, John. He’s sleeping. No nightmares. I just think…” 

“He needed to get away.” His Dad finishes. 

“Yes.”

He sighs. “Just come back soon, okay? I mean Thanksgiving break is over, and I cant keep the principal off my back too long before he starts to think something is up.”

“Yes, sir.”

I’m about to hit the end button when I hear it. 

“I’m glad its you, Derek. If he was gonna do this with anyone, I’m glad its you.”

I don't answer him. Maybe its better he thinks I didn't hear him say it. The screen flashes ‘call ended’ and I put the phone back in Stiles hand. 

“Is he mad?” He asks, softly.

“No. But he misses you. And we need to get you home. You have school. And Lacrosse. And Scott and Lydia need you.”

He nods. He walks to the bed, shoving his shirt from yesterday into his duffle bag. “You can drop me off at a train station. I’ll find my way back. I’m sorry I made you take me.”

“You didn't make me do anything, Stiles. You wouldn't be here if I didn't want you here.”

He gives me a small smile. “You’ve never done anything you don't want to do.”

I wonder for a moment if hes talking about the kiss. But I don't pursue it. It happened. Why I’m still not sure.

“I’ll take you back. It would take you the same amount of time to get back to Beacon Hills on a train as it would for me to drive you.”

“What about, Cora?” He sits down on the edge of the bed. He looks defeated. Like this whole trip, all the progress he’s made, disappeared with one phone call from home. 

“She’ll find me when all this is over. When she knows its safe. It’s probably better I don't bring her into this.” I grab his hand and yank him off the bed. “Come on. We still gotta see the Grand Canyon. And put that quarter in the slot machine.”

He beams, hopping a little in excitement on the tips of his toes and throws his arms around my neck. When he buries his face into the crook of my neck, I close my eyes to his scent enveloping me. 

“Thank you.” He murmurs. And I realize now, that this trip was never about me finding Cora. This trip hadn’t been about me at all. 

It was about him.  


_I got a heart full of rubber bands, that keep getting caught on things..._

  
“My God, its huge.” He mumbles. He’s on the edge, where he always seems to be no matter where he is, looking into the giant crater in front of him.

I snicker. 

He laughs, realizing what I found funny. “I bet you hear that all the time.”

“Not as much as you’d think.” I assure him.

“Shut up. You have a massive werewolf cock, I know it.”

“If you say so.”

He sits down, drawing his knees up to his chest, the dry Arizona wind carrying through his hair. 

“Thanks for bringing me here.”

“Its cool.” I sit down next to him, hanging my legs over the boulder we are perched on. “Its been forever since I’ve been here. When Laura and I finally had our first full moon, our parents took us here to howl.”

“Dude, that has to be the cutest thing I have ever heard in my life.”

I laugh. “Yeah, it was good.”

Stiles peeks at him through shifted eyes. “You must really miss them.”

I nod.

“I miss my mom. A lot. I feel like it wasn't so bad for a while, but lately. I feel like even though my Dad has been really understanding and great through the whole ‘werewolves are real’ thing, I feel like my mom just…” He shrugs.

“You have the spark you know. Deaton has told you. Its not something that just happens. Its handed down. I’m sure your mom had it too.”

Stiles smiles. “Probably. She was really special.”

I swallows. “So are you.”  


_Another white dash; I drift off at eighty something..._

  
The hum of the engine and the constant strong wind blowing in my ear from the open window is the soundtrack as we make our way North West out of Arizona. Its late, at least 2am; the clock on the dash is broken and I kinda like it that way. He’s snoring next to me; the sounds un-interrupting his sleep.

He’s been calm, but as we get closer and closer back to Beacon Hills, I can't quite put my finger on why he’s tensing up. There's a lot waiting for us there. More danger. Unanswered questions. Guilt. Kate. 

But somehow I don't think that's it. 

He stirs, and I glance at him. He smacks his lips together a few times, sighs, and then drifts back to sleep as my speedometer hits 80. 

I never realized how beautiful he was until I saw him sleeping.  


_There is something exciting about leavin' everything behind; There is something deep and pulling leavin' everything behind..._

  
“Okay, so my quarter, your pull.” He places the coin in my hand and the heat is overwhelming.

“You do realize you could get arrested just for being on the floor.”

“Stop being over dramatic. We’d just get kicked out. Now pull.”

I smile; how can you not at this kid? The coin clinks in and I pull the handle. He’s a jumble of ADHD nerves next to me. When the pictures roll up into their prospective spots, my eyes widen and realize that my winnings are flashing on the small screen in red letters. The bell is going off, because Stiles one quarter with my one pull has just won us 250 dollars.

“WOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Stiles yells, wrapping his arms around me and jumping up and down. My eyes are still wide as I wrap my arms around him. He smells like the open road and sweat, as we haven't showered in a few days. We spent the night sleeping in the Nevada desert in my truck. I felt free. And it was the first night Stiles slept all the way through. 

I nuzzle my nose into his neck and I feel his lips on my ear. “I told you.” He whispers. 

I realize in this moment, that this is the happiest I have been since my parents were alive. I felt like myself. Whole. Totally free. 

As the coins jangle and unload into the tray of the machine, we stand there holding each other. I can feel his heart hammering away in his chest, and I wonder if he can feel mine doing the same.  


*********

  
Stiles insisted I keep the winnings. He said I drove, paid for all the motels and food, and well everything. He just wanted the experience. To say he was there.

Its heart warming, and so much Stiles. 

As we cross the border back into California, the welcome sign taunting us at 65 miles an hour, I can literally smell the tension coming through his skin. 

“What are you afraid of?” I ask. 

He sighs. “Just...more of the same. More monsters. More drama. More death and blood. It was just nice not to have that for a while.” He looks at me. “To be with you for a while. I’m glad I got to know you better.”

“You knew me.” I tell him. 

“Maybe. But its different now.”

“Yeah.”

“I don't know if hes talking about the kiss or the long talks we had. Or the color of my eyes. 

But he was right. Everything was different now.  


********

  
Things went back to normal when we got back. Back to research. Fighting. Screams from Banshees mouths. Death. And looking for Kate. I helped Scott with his new Beta. When he knocked on my door, with that look in his eye; a look I knew all too well; I offered my help no questions asked. Stiles was right. I was his beta.

It was an honor. 

After Liam had left one night; a night of teaching him to listen for Scott's howl and to control his eye shifts; Scott is gathering his book bag when the question is finally asked.

“What happened? With Stiles. On that road trip.”

I look at him, my hands in my jeans pocket. “I was looking for Cora.”

“That's not what I asked. What happened with Stiles? He came back all Yoda like and he shaved his head. You know that buzz cut thing he hasn't had in years? And when I asked him why he did it, he told me it reminded him of better times. What the hell happened out there?”

I smile, I honestly can't help it. 

“He forgave himself.”  


_Something about having everything you think you'll ever need, sitting in the seat next to you..._

  
“Scotty, we need a night of normalcy. No claws, no girlfriends, no nothing. Just best bud time. Video game, junk food. Come on, we need it.” I pat his back and he nods.

“Okay. You talked me into it. Let me just text Kira-” Scott stops next to me, his eyes wide and he almost tumbles down the front stairs as we make our way out of the high school. “Uh, dude. I think someone is here to see you.” He points to the front of the school. I follow his finger and nearly pee myself. Like I seriously almost pee myself. If my dick wasn't as hard a rock. 

In front of the school, parked not where it should be, was a black, sheek Chevy Camaro. And leaning against it, in a tight black leather jacket and dark sunglasses, was Derek. 

I feel my heart begin to beat at a pace faster and harder than I’ve ever felt before. He was here. The old Derek. The throwing me into walls, smashing my face into steering wheels, threatening to rip my throat out with his teeth, Derek. But with the new Derek’s heart. And forgiveness. 

He smiles when he realizes I see him. He pushes himself off the Camaro and then does something I never in a million years thought I’d see Derek Hale do. To anyone, let alone me. He extends his arms and waves his hands for me to come to him.

I glance at Scott who is shaking his head and smiling like an idiot. He looks at me. “Well, what the hell are you waiting for?”

And then I run. I run down the stairs, across the sidewalk and into his arms. I hear a “oof” come from his chest as I smash into him, but his arms immediately wrap around me, and I feel like I’m home. 

“Hey.” He whispers, scenting into my neck. 

“Where’s the truck?” I ask, not letting go of him. 

“I still have it. For when you turn 21 so we can road trip to Vegas again.”

I giggle like an idiot into his chest and he tightens his grip on me. 

“Nice jacket.” I tell him when I finally pull back. 

He shrugs. “I had some extra money to spend.”

I laugh. We smile at each other for a few minutes, his hand coming up to rub over my newly shaved head. 

“You gonna take me for a ride, sourwolf?” I ask gently. 

He nods.

“Always.”


End file.
